Fish-plate and joint



(No Model.)

I J. N. VALLEY..

FISH PLATE AND JOINT. No. 408,940. Patented Aug. 13, 1889.

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8 z-J. mmwmzw@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. VALLEY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEY JERSEY.

FISH-PLATE AND JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `Patent No. 408,940, dated August13, 1889.

Application filed January 25, 1889. Serial No. 297,518. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN N. VALLEY, of Jersey City, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Fish-Plates and Joints, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in .fish-plates and rail-jointsespecially adapted for use in connection with elevated, cylindrical, orsquare railroad-rails; and the object of the invention is to provide ash plate and joint of simple, durable, and comparatively lightconstruction, in the use of which a rail will have a firm and solidbearing.

The invention consists in the novel construction oi' the sh-plates andjoint and in the combination, with the plates, of the rail, as will behereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an elevated structure illustrating theapplication of the fish-plates and rail thereto. Fig. 2 is a transversevertical section through Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective View ofrail-sections attached to girders by my improved fish-plates and joints.Fig. 4. is a transverse section through a rail and a side elevation ofthe plates, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one end of arail-section.

To fully illustrate the application of my invention, I have shown inconnection therewith an elevated structure, upon which the rails areespecially adapted to belaid, the said structure comprising a series ofspaced columns 10, united in pairs by transverse girders ll, as shown inFig. 2, which girders are preterably provided with a smooth iiat uppersurface. Upon the upper surface of each girder ll, at each end of thesame, an angle-iron 12 is securely bolted in such manner that the outerface of the said angle-iron, which constitutes one of the fish-plates,will be in alignment with the end of the girder, as best illustrated inFig. 4.

The angle iron or plate l2 is attached to the girder by means of boltsor equivalent fastening devices 13, passed through the horizontal memberinto the body ot" the girder, as shown in Fig. 3 and likewise in Fig. 4.

The rails 14, employed in connection with my improved fish-plates andjoints, are preferably cylindrical or square and provided at each endupon the inner face with a downwardly extending perpendicular lug l5, asshown in Fig. 5, in which lug an aperture 16 is produced. The length ofthe lug is essentially the same as the height of the vertical member ofthe plate 12.

In connecting or uniting the opposed ends of the two rail-sections thelugs l5 of each rail are brought together, placed in contact with theinner side or face of the vertical members of plates 12, the lower edgesof said lugs resting on the horizontal member ot' the same, as shownbest in Fig. 4. Thus each lug is eccentric to the axis of the railproper, and the latter overhangs and rests upon the top edge of thevertical member of plate 12, which arrangement secures maximum strengthand rigidity with minimum number and weight of parts. The rails havingbeen placed in this position, the second plate 17, which also con-lsists of an angle-iron of equal width with the lower plate l2, is placedin contact with the said lower plate and also with the inner :tace

of the rail-lugs l5. The horizontal member of the upper plate 17 isbolted or otherwise secured to the corresponding member of the lowerplate, and the vertical member of the said upper plate is held inposition by passing a suitable bolt through the same, through theaperture 1G of the rail-lug, and out through the vertical member of thelower plate. As shown, bolts 13 pass through the horizontal members ofthe plates and through the girder. By means of this connection it willbe observed that the rail is firmly tied between the vertical members ofboth of the sh-plates and has a iirm and secure bearing upon both thevertical and horizontal members of the lower plat-e.

It one rail-section is to be removed, it may be accomplished withoutinterfering with the other railsection tied between the same plates, itbeing only necessary to remove one TOO of the bolts passing through thevertical members oi: the plates and through the rail-lug, whereupon thesaid lug` may be expeditiously brought upward and the section withdrawn.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with two fish-plates, each provided with anessentially vertical and a horizontal member, the horizont-al members ofwhich plates are connected, of a rail provided with adownwardly-extending lug integral with the inner face held between thevertical members of the iish-plates, and a bolt or equivalent devicepassed through the said vertical members and through the said lug,

substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with two iish-plates, each provided with anessentially vertical and a horizontal member, the horizontal member ofone plate being secured to the corresponding member of the other plate,of a rail provided with a dow]iwardly-cxtending lug integral with theinner face of a length equivalent to the height of the vertical memberotl the lower plate, and a bolt or other equivalent fastening devicepassed through the vertical members of the plates and through the saidlug, substantially as shown and described, whereby the lug is clampedbetween the plates and given a bearing upon both the vertical andhorizontal members oi' the under plate, substantially as shown anddescribed, as and for the purpose specified.

The combination, with two fish-plates, each provided with an essentiallyvertical and a horizontal member, the horizontal member of one platebeing secured to the corresponding member of the other plate, of a railpro vided with a downwardly-extending lug integral with the inner faceof a length equivalent to the height of the vertical member of the lowerplate, and a bolt or equivalent device passed through the Verticalmembers of the plates and through the said lug, substantially as shownand described, whereby the lug is clamped between the plates and given abearing upon both the vertical and horizontal members of the underplate, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with a {ish-plate having a horizontal and Verticalmember, of a rail having a downwardly-extending lug formed integrallywith it and arranged eccentric to its axis, and means for securing theparts together as shown, whereby the body oi' the rail overhangs andrests upon the vertical member of the plate and its lug bears upon thehorizontal member of said plate, as specified.

5. The combination, with two angle fishplates secured one upon theother, of a rail provided with a down\\'ardlyeXtending integral lug uponthe inner face entered bctween the vertical members of the said plates,and a bolt passed through the said vertical members and through the saidlug, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN N. VALLEY.

W'itnesses:

J. F. AcKER, Jr., C. SEDc'wIcK.

